Happy Monday everyone! I’m back from a lovely two week break in France so will have a few pics to share this week, as well as a lovely wedding to blog.
But first, I’m really pleased to share the work of award-winning photographer Nick Saglimbeni – I’ve got my husband to thank for asking Nick the questions, as he recently interviewed him for the September issue of Professional Photographer magazine (out now by the way).
Nick is a professional photographer with ten years experience and he has photographed for high-profile magazines and brands including People, Ocean Drive, Hamptons, The Wall Street Journal, Maxim, OK, LA Confidential, Photoshop User, and the New York Times. He has also photographed both national and international campaigns for Skechers, Sears, Wacom and Nuvo. You may have seen him on Keeping up with the Kardashians, as he is one of the only photographers Kim Kardashian and her family uses. He is based in LA and also runs photography and editing courses, while pioneering 3D photography for which this year he won a Sony World Photo Award.
What has been the most memorable assignment/project you have photographed and why?
I have many but I guess the most recent was when I was shooting in Egypt during the revolution there last year. I went to shoot for the magazine and my cab driver dragged me into Tahir Square to see what was going on. It was so odd because people were throwing fire bombs but also selling cotton candy. It was like a street fair, but a really wild one! When I went to Egypt people were saying, you know there is a revolution going on it is not a good time to go, but I had friends there so I was not worried.
What do you love most about photography?
I think I have always just loved women, it is such a generic answer, but I always wanted to capture a moment of beauty in a way people had not done before. And I like to think I can do it with almost anyone, I think I can get someone far less comfortable in front of a camera than supermodels say, and so make them look good. It is about creating a hyper positive environment in which everyone feels good about themselves.
What’s the best photography lesson anyone gave you?
The best lesson I got that I apply to my photography isn’t actually directly related to photography. A friend of mine who is a relatively big personality, was telling me how she had had to be up at 4.30am for filming and was really grouchy and a friend called her and asked how she was. She complained about the early starts and the workload and he said, oh I know how you feel, I have been up since 3am. And she said that in that moment she realised there will always be someone willing to work harder than you. And that is a good lesson to live by. The other thing I was taught was that you should never get too big for your job. Your mission is to serve the audience, which does not mean everyone but something true to the people your work resonates with.
Name one picture that made you say “I wish I could take a photo like that”?
The five supermodels sitting on the ground taken by Herb Ritts. It is the most famous glamour shot in the world and my most favourite photograph ever taken. The girls are all nude but they are not showing anything, so it was one of the first controversial tasteful shots. It was an era before heavy retouching so all those girls actually looked like that. It was the first time they mixed races in a picture – white and black models intertwined, which I thought was just awesome. There is an innocence about the girls too, despite the fact they are the ultimate vixens. There is a vulnerability to them.
If you could choose to shoot with just one lens, what would it be and why?
I don’t think I want to give that away! I will say I always shoot primes, as I don’t like zoom lenses. I like the discipline of knowing your focal length. I think zoom lenses accommodate to much laziness in photography, as it doesn’t force you to think about composition.
On a side note, if you like documentary photography then the Canon 5D Mark III is just incredible. I have never seen natural light look that good in my life. The biggest focus with the Mark II also was that the auto focus was slow and does not calibrate properly, but with the Mark III, there is hawk vision focus and the subtleties are incredible.
All images (c) Nick Saglimbeni
A huge thank you to Nick (and my other half!) for taking the time to provide a little glimpse into your world. For loads more info on all of Nick’s projects visit http://www.slickforce.com or you can follow him on twitter @NickSaglimbeni.
